Saturday, July 26, 2008

Man and his World

Montreal was given the green light for Expo 67 in late 1962, less than five years with which to build and plan its world's fair.

In 1963, with time pressing, the Canadian Corporation for the 1967 World Exhibition called a conference of prominent educators, literary figures, and intellectuals at Montebello, Québec, to choose a central theme and evolve a philosophy for Expo 67.

Man and His World was the theme chosen at the 3-day Montebello conference, derived from the title of a thought-provoking book by French author, poet and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Terre des Hommes.

Acclaimed French-Canadian author Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983) was a key participant in the Montebello conference. In a souvenir album released during Expo (simply titled Man and his World), Roy explained how Saint-Exupéry's vision would become Expo 67's theme and main focus:

"Saint-Exupéry said it simply: 'To be a man is to be responsible, to feel that by laying one's own stone, one contributes to building the World.'

"At Montebello, each of us made recommendations: where possible, the participating countries should consider the theme philosophy in their plans for national pavilions; the Canadian Corporation for the 1967 World Exhibition should devote its efforts to making the theme the central core in its own pavilions and in all its other projects. This would be its distinct and personal share in the common effort of the seventy-odd countries that would join with us to create Expo 67. The theme pavilions, with consistent emphasis on the idea of human interdependance would then form the hub of the great wheel of men and nations. We also wanted to invite the participating countries to collaborate on the theme itself. At any rate, since this was Man's Earth, belonging to everyone, coming from everyone, intended for everyone, we thought it desirable that contributions to the project should blend, complement one another, forming one complete whole, like the perfectly balanced instruments of an orchestra."